Trail Information
Distance: Approximately 3/4 mile, one way
Grade: Level
Surface: Suitable for walking, running, bicycling. Dogs (on leashes) and horses are welcome on the trail, but please be sure to pick up any droppings and deposit them in an appropriate container.
Hours: Seven days a week, dawn to dusk.
Parking: As shown on the trail map, there are two trail heads, one on Channel Rd. and the other on Riverside Dr. Currently there is no parking available at either trail head, other than one handicap space at Channel Rd. If parking is necessary, it is recommended that visitors park on side streets such as Rio Camino or Vista Camino off Riverside Dr. Visitors should never park at the River Run East industrial park. Please be sure to secure all of your personal property.
In the future, the River Park looks forward to developing parking on the site currently owned and operated by Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group. Once Hanson completes their operations, they have generously offered to donate that 22 acre site. Besides parking, the River Park plans to develop more recreational and educational facilities.
Trail Description
Entry
Located on the Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group property is a monument designed by international artist James Hubbell. This will be the gateway into Lakeside's River Park Conservancy someday. It is a beautiful combination of organic and natural materials and depicts an egret with its wings open as it swoops down into the San Diego River for a fish. Lakeside's schoolchildren created the mosaic stream of fish. The egret is surrounded by large natural boulders and is beautifully lit at night by solar energy.
The land on which the monument is located is scheduled to be donated by Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group to the Park and will become the site of the Park's recreational and educational facilities.
To reach the trail fom the Hubbell Monument, go south on Channel Road for about 25 yards. The trail entrance is on your right.
Hanson Reach
General Description: Easy, level trail that runs just north of the river on land donated by Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group.
Look for: newly planted willow and mulefat cuttings in the river bed. These plants will eventually fill in and look similar to the area just on the other side of the river. This will create more habitat for riverine species. Along the rocks (called rip-rap) on the side of the channel you can see native plants such as laurel sumac and toyon that are growing to cover most of the rocks.
Wildlife: This open area is your best chance to see land-dwelling species such as jackrabbits and reptiles. Greater roadrunners have also been spotted here. You may see butterflies such as swallowtails and occasionally red-tailed hawks can been seen soaring about or sitting in the trees.
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Greater roadrunner |
Swallowtail |
Red-tailed hawk |
Mulefat |
Willowbrook Reach
General description: After you pass by the fence marking the end of the Hanson property, you enter the Eucalyptus Grove, with the Willowbrook Golf Course on your right. Although eucalyptus trees are not native to California, these trees are being thinned gradually as more oak and 
sycamore trees mature, since some raptors need tall trees for nesting. As you leave the Eucalyptus Grove you will see the East Pond Overlook on your left. The Overlook is a wonderful vantage point to look down on the pond and observe the wildlife there. The stucture floating in the pond is a remote water quality sensor. After the East Pond you will see a thick grove of trees called the Cathedral. At the end of this section of the trail there is a second overlook on your left. This overlook puts you at the top level of the plants growing in this section of the river. Looking west from the trail above the overlook you can see the West Pond.
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Look for: birds, butterflies, and insects all along this section of the trail. Depending on the season of the year, you will probably see goldfinches, yellow warblers, and various sparrows. In more open areas you may see black phoebes and hummingbirds, among others. Look in the pond to see mallards, coots, egrets, and blue herons (which often perch on top of the water quality monitor). Osprey sometimes fish in the pond. Dragonflies are common. In the Cathedral, look for the large nest of the red-tailed hawk. The second (west) overlook is an excellent place to listen to wildlife as well as spot it; red-wing blackbirds are often seen here. |
Anna's Hummingbird |
Also notice the plants along the trail and on the slope, and don't forget to stop and smell them too. The large, fragrant bushes with spikes of purple flowers are sages. The red or orange tube-shaped flowers are monkeyflower and the dark green bushes with purple flower clusters are California lilac. Other native plants used here are artemesia and California sunflower, in addition to the sycamore and oak trees. All of these plants thrive in inland San Diego's climate with little water; the irrigation that you see is only used for the first few years while the plants are being established. Consider using California native plants on your own property!
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Mallards |
Red-Winged Blackbird |
California Lilac |
Goldfinch |
Lakeside Land Reach
General Description: As you leave the overlook, the trail makes a right-hand (northward) turn onto the newest part of the trail., which runs behind buildings owned by Lakeside Land Company. After you cross the little bridge, there is a short spur trail to your left. The main trail narrows here and eventually ends at Riverside Drive.
Look for: restoration in progress, as we place plants along the fence on the right that will eventually screen the trail from the golf course and replace invasive non-natives in the culvert with suitable native plants. The spur trail has (non-native) rosemary bushes that will be replaced with sages and artenesia. In the culvert, look for lizards sunning on the rocks.